Considering Slip-Track for Energy-Efficient Paths of Skid-Steer Rovers

Skid-steer rovers consume a lot more power in point turns compared to straight line motion. As energy is the integral of power over time, the turning radius should be considered explicitly for this type of rover. Lower instantaneous power consumption for wider arcs must be traded off against shorter traversal distance for tighter arcs by evaluating the total energy consumed when following different paths. This research seeks to find the most energy-efficient path from among Circular arc - Line - Circular arc (CLC) paths, a generalization of Point turn - Line - Point turn (PLP) paths which are the simplest path to execute for a skid-steer rover traversing between general start and end poses. The optimally energy-efficient CLC path on hard ground is found to have circular arcs of radius R-', the turning radius at which a skid-steer rover's inner wheels are not commanded to turn. The radius corresponds to exactly half the rover's slip-track. Theoretical, numerical, and experimental evidenceis presented to support this result. Further, important features of the R-' turning radius are explored.